Anger of farmers: “Viala, don't touch the RSA!”, the coup of the Peasant Confederation in the Department

Une centaine de militants de la Confédération paysanne se sont invités dans l'hémicycle du Département de l'Aveyron ce vendredi 13 décembre au matin. CENTRE PRESSE – M.ROUALDES

This Friday morning, a hundred activists from the Confédération paysanne took over the Department's hemicycle in Rodez by force.

The DNA of the Confédération paysanne has not disappeared. The department's historic union, once embodied by the famous José Bové, still knows how to surprise and pull off spectacular stunts. Until then particularly silent, or even withdrawn since the return of agricultural anger in recent weeks, it returned to the forefront this Friday, December 13. By being almost surprised by the mobilization itself…

“There are really a lot of us guys!”, repeated a spokesperson, all smiles into the microphone. It was not yet 9 o'clock and the Place Charles-de-Gaulle, in front of the departmental council, was already filled with yellow flags and green signs on which only two clear messages appeared: “Aveyron: more than 500 farms on RSA” and especially “Viala, don't touch the RSA“…

Up to the podium of the hemicycle

This was the order of the day and the timing was particularly well chosen: at the same time, all the elected representatives of the departmental council were to meet inside the building to debate the future budgetary orientations of the community. They watched, surprised and impassive, as the Conf’ activists arrived in force in the hemicycle! The few police officers present, less than ten, were unable to contain the compact crowd crossing the doors to the rhythm of “we're going to go back, we're going to go back, we're going to go back”…

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At the podium, Arnaud Viala had no choice but to hand over the microphone to the representatives of those who call themselves “small farmers”… Breeders, dairymen, market gardeners, beekeepers and especially farmers who were particularly angry about the Department's experiment with the famous RSA under conditions. As a reminder, this system, recently launched in Aveyron, requires obtaining the solidarity income in exchange for completing at least 15 hours of weekly activity.

“We know how to be received: we'll come back if necessary”

“We received emails asking us to find part-time work, how do we survive from now on?? How do we work on our farms and fifteen hours a week elsewhere?? This signals the death of very small farms! For many, this RSA is an essential palliative to the shortcomings of current agricultural policies that do not allow for a decent income”, chanted several members of the Confédération paysanne into the microphone.

Before that, Arnaud Viala had appeared on the steps of the departmental council to meet the demonstrators. He assured that no farmer would be affected by the RSA system under conditions. This did not calm the anger. Shortly before 10 o'clock, facing his invested hemicycle, he agreed to a meeting in the afternoon with a delegation from the Conf'.

“Ah well now, we know how to meet you: we have been asking for an interview for six months, with no response! From now on, we will come back if necessary”, smiled the union representatives, on the podium, while in the room some exchanges were improvised with elected officials… farmers. “Stop it, we can get by with a farm in Aveyron”, Brigitte Mazars, a breeder in Bas-Ségala and partner of André At, also a breeder, was annoyed. Proof that while it often shares the same anger, the agricultural world is not always on the same wavelength.

Calm returned shortly before 10 a.m.

The Conf’, engaged in the campaign for the next elections to the Chamber of Agriculture in January, was keen to say it loud and clear: “For a while now, you have seen it, there have been mobilizations everywhere. And we are really surprised by the difference in treatment from the unions: when the Rural Coordination repaints the prefecture with manure and tires, not a single police officer raises his head, Mr. Viala. While we always bring out the “strong arms”… I remind you that we represent 25% of the farmers in this department”.

Enough to make an elected official say: “Go and screw up the FDSEA or the Chamber of Agriculture so!” Before calm returned, shortly before 10 o'clock. This time, the Conf'est came out, without forcing the passage. “The departmental council assumes its policy. The gap between farmers and departmental elected officials is enormous […] We remain mobilized”, declared the delegation, a few hours later, at the end of the meeting with Arnaud Viala.
 

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